The Twins offered the high-octane right-hander $42 million over three years and even included a vesting option that would have pushed that to $56 million if he stayed healthy.

Having already spent $84 million to sign Ricky Nolasco, Phil Hughes and Mike Pelfrey, the Twins wanted a Garza reunion to round out their rotation.

Monday night at Miller Park, he reminded them what they're missing in a 6-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.

Facing his original organization for just the third time since it traded him away after 2007, Garza shut out the Twins through 6 1/3 innings and struck out eight.

Brewers starter Matt Garza pitches during the top of the second inning against the Minnesota Twins. (Photo by Mike McGinnis/Getty Images)

He beat right-hander Kyle Gibson (4-5), who was the primary beneficiary of Garza's decision to sign elsewhere.

"Obviously, he's got great stuff," Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe said of Garza. "He throws that sinker in there, you're not going to do anything with that pitch. You're either going to hook it foul or you're going to get jammed. When he's spotting up like that, he's going to be tough."

Garza (3-4), who signed a four-year, $60 million deal with the Brewers that included a fifth-year option but also significant deferrals, gave up six hits. That included Joe Mauer's first two-double game in nearly 13 months.

He also used a vicious slider to strike out Mauer with two runners in scoring position to end the fifth.

Advertisement

Moments later, Mark Reynolds' two-run blast gave the Brewers breathing room in the fifth after run-scoring singles by Jonathan Lucroy and Carlos Gomez broke up a scoreless duel an inning earlier.

Gibson, who opened with three perfect innings, fell to 1-4 with a 7.39 earned-run average in six starts on the road. At Target Field, he is 3-1 with a 1.85 ERA.

The Twins went hitless in six at-bats with RISP against Garza, who won for the first time in nearly a month (May 5) and sliced his ERA to 4.

42. His ERA in three starts against the Twins is 1.77.

After Danny Santana lined a single on Garza's 111th and final pitch, the intense veteran handed the ball to manager Ron Roenicke and walked off barking into the glove he held over his face.

"He's a high-strung, gung-ho guy -- very confident, very competitive," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said earlier. "We liked that about him. We liked that an awful lot. Had a great arm. Sometimes got a little emotional out on the mound, and you'd calm him down a little bit. You like that spirit. As they say, he's a gunslinger. He can bring it."

Garza, 30, touched 95 mph with his fastball and featured a darting changeup more than the Twins expected.

Minnesota Twins' Brian Dozier (2) leaps over Milwaukee Brewers' Carlos Gomez (27) at second to turn a double play on a ball hit by Khris Davis during the fourth inning Monday in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Twice he struck out Oswaldo Arcia in the middle innings after the young slugger took mighty cuts his first time up.

"I think he likes those one-on-one confrontations," Gardenhire said. "I think that fuels him. We always used to see that with us. He likes the challenge. He'd reach back and get a little something extra."

Gibson, meanwhile, needed just 36 pitches to navigate the first three innings. Speedy Jean Segura opened the fourth with a bunt single after Plouffe backed off at third, and the wheels started to wobble.

After opening the fifth with two strikes to Scooter Gennett, Gibson gave up a line single on a change-up. Reynolds followed with an opposite-field shot to right, his 13th homer of the year, on a four-seamer that Gibson regretted throwing instead of his sinker.

The Twins also reportedly had interest in signing Reynolds this offseason.

An infield single from Josh Willingham in the seventh broke up the shutout. That gave Willingham at least one run batted in in his past five games (seven total).

Brian Dozier, who had been 3 for his past 41 before a fifth-inning double, added an infield single to score the Twins' second run in the ninth.

The Twins, who own series victories over all five American League East powers, fell to 2-7 during interleague play with three more scheduled this week against the Brewers.